Far-Right Politician Tries to Cancel SLIPKNOT and JUDAS PRIEST Shows in Italy

Summary

• Far-right politician Alcide Mosso calls for Slipknot and Judas Priest shows to be canceled over satanic imagery concerns.
• Accuses Ferrara Summer Festival of promoting a culture of death, violence, and selfishness.
• Slipknot, Judas Priest, and Lynyrd Skynyrd scheduled for their only Italy tour dates this summer.

Alcide Mosso, a member of Italy’s far-right Lega Nord party, has launched an attack on the Ferrara Summer Festival, held throughout the summer in the city of Ferrara.

His main targets? The upcoming concerts by Slipknot and Judas Priest. In an official statement picked up by Estense, Mosso called on local authorities to pull any public funding from the event.

In his statement, Mosso claims that “since the current administration took over in Ferrara, some of the artists performing at the Ferrara Summer Festival have raised concerns among many people, not to mention that their deafening and invasive music goes on well past midnight, causing serious inconvenience for those who have to work the next day, as well as for many who simply don’t enjoy this type of show.”

Looking ahead to the 2025 lineup, he zeroes in on the heavy metal acts, saying their “images and videos clearly, in my opinion, reference Satanism.” What seems to bother him the most is Slipknot’s name itself: “The name, translated from English, means ‘noose to hang yourself’, is this an incitement to suicide? I won’t even bother describing their repertoire, which anyone can easily find on social media.”

Mosso continues his crusade by claiming that

“the satanic messages are obvious: imagery and scenes straight out of the worst horror films, along with numbers and words, confirm this beyond any of their public statements. It’s a culture of death, narcissistic and violent, spreading into the minds and behaviors of thousands of young people. And then we wonder why violence spreads, why life loses its value in the face of selfishness and the banality of evil – from denying a child the right to be born, which for many has become a ‘right,’ to killing people who don’t meet society’s expectations or who refuse to impose limits on their desires. It’s absolutely valid to ask what kind of impact shows like these can have on minors.”

He also argues that

“entry should be restricted to adults, or at the very least, minors should be accompanied by a parent. Security personnel could verify ages at the entrance, along with checking for banned items like water bottles. The normalization of evil and death is such that a killer can just take a shower and go back to their daily life. With this level of indifference, violence gets tied to a so-called pseudo-patriarchy.”

Based on all this, Mosso is urging council members to submit motions to the City Council “to denounce these kinds of shows and pressure the current municipal administration to pull any public funding from those organizing them. I also hope religious authorities, both Christian and non-Christian, do everything they can to raise public awareness.”

Slipknot is scheduled to perform on June 17 (Get Slipknot Tickets Here), with Judas Priest set to hit the stage on July 2 (Get Judas Priest Tickets Here). Another rock act, Lynyrd Skynyrd, is slated for June 29. All three shows are currently the only Italian dates on each band’s tour.

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